Finding motivation Published Aug. 4, 2011 By Col. Commander, 45th Medical Group PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Have you ever found yourself being confronted with issues in life on a regular basis such as "I don't feel like doing anything," or "I need a break." What separates those who will become successful from being status-quo is the ability to make decisions about what we will do. "The measure of your success usually comes down to who wins the battle that rages between the two of you - the 'you' who wants to stop, give up, and the 'you' who chooses to beat back that which stands in the way of your success," as a popular speaker, Chris Widener, put it. Oftentimes when we have been working very hard, our emotions tell us that we need a break. Sometimes we do need a break. An example of this is taking time off from working out in the gym. From time to time, you take a one- or two-day break. The benefits of this are two-fold: one, your body gets to rest, and two, you miss your routine workout and can't wait to get back to the gym. One way that I motivate myself to do something when I don't feel like doing it is to reward myself. Hey, it works! The longest lasting and most powerful motivation is self-motivation. The key ingredients for self-motivation are: desire, vision, persistence, guts and courage. Desire is wanting everything that life has to offer. My true desire for wanting to serve my country was to join the Air Force. "Strong desire makes you feel like there is a fire in your belly." A burning desire is always deep in your heart and you must ask yourself do you have this kind of desire for what you are seeking? Most people can achieve something that others cannot necessarily because they have more talent, but because they have tried harder. What separated them from the rest is that they had the courage to go forward regardless of the fear of failure. If you find yourself confronted with this issue in your life, seek ways to get yourself motivated even when you don't feel like doing anything. You can go from nowhere to somewhere, from nothing to something, from nobody to somebody. You can build a successful life and career one day at a time.